Joe Stirt says: "Swiss luxury penmaker Montblanc has just come out with a $23,000 pen to commemorate the austere, ascetic leader of Indian independence's birth on this date (October 2) in 1869."
The limited-edition Mahatma Gandhi pen, priced at Rs1.1m ($23,000, €15,800, £14,400), has an 18-carat solid gold, rhodium-plated nib, engraved with Gandhi’s image, and “a saffron-coloured mandarin garnet” on the clip. The pens were unveiled this week, before the national holiday on Gandhi’s birthday.Fountains of dismay greet Montblanc's 'Gandhi Pen'Dilip R. Doshi, chairman of Entrack, Montblanc’s distributor in India, said the pen embodied Gandhi’s timeless philosophy of non-violence and respect for all living creatures. “We are creating a thing of simplicity and beauty that will last for centuries,” he said.
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Precisely what Gandhi wanted to be remembered for...gratuitous materialism.
Yes, a twenty-three thousand dollar pen to honor someone who lived on rice and carrots. And maybe a little goat's milk when he felt like a party.
'Cause you know what Ghandi really loved? Unnecessarily expensive versions of everyday objects that most people in India couldn't afford with a lifetime's wages!
Just wait 'till the introduce the premium presentation case; where you actually pull the pen out of the mouth of a starving child.
I've been looking for something like this. Now, when my Jesus Coin Purse is empty and my Buddha Master Card is overdrawn, I can use it to write a check. Can't wait for Christmas so I can ask for the Mother Theresa Tennis Bracelet!
Is this the gonzo hardcore porn version of irony?
Das, you are way ahead of me. I was thinking of Jesus Gold Caps with a 24c gold trimmed Hummer with 30" wheels and a Mother Theresa Tiara.
You guys are all missing the point. This isn't wasteful. It writes that well.
Also, I bet it comes with a certificate of authenticity. Gandhi loved authenticity. QED
In 1948, only months after his death, Brand Gandhi was good for selling incense sticks.
Sounds like something from Ghandi II.
What's next? A missile with his name on it?
Windmills do not work that way!
Could only be better were it British-made.
Yes, hypocritical - and anyone who buys one is an asshole...
but at least they did this:
"Yet the pens have received the blessing of Tushar Gandhi, the Mahatma’s often vocal great-grandson, who received €100,001 ($146,000, £91,500) from Montblanc to build a shelter for rescued child labourers."
Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c97b5bc0-add9-11de-87e7-00144feabdc0.html
They can use it to sign the checks at the Mohandas K. Gandhi Nuclear Testing Facility.
This is perfect for all my friends who struggle daily with the age old question of "which should I buy, a car or a pen?"
I think Zedomax got it best...
"Can you believe it? The foundation only gets $1000 for every $23K pen sold, that’s only 4.3%. If they donated at least 50%, I would understand but that’s not it."
Check out the link here
http://zedomax.com/blog/2009/10/02/montblancs-gandhi-pen-sells-for-23000/
You can fill it with their special mix of blood, sweat and tears. FairTrade blood/sweat/tears, of course.
At that price, it had better provide passive resistance across the page.
To be fair, the pen is mightier than the sword...
And this is a pen you just can't beat! (Well, you can, but it will just get back up to be beaten again.)
The uber-pen embodies the "philosophy of non-violence", eh? Ever seen "Grosse Pointe Blank?" Pens are pretty good for violence, sometimes, especially with a pointy nib like that.
you guys, hey, don't be so short sighted! it's not about the lavish pen - it's about the unlimited amount of energy that can now be extracted from Gandhi spinning 12,000 RPMs in his grave!
Gandhi would have loved this!
On the other hand Gandhi had several rich friends like Ghanshyam Das Birla, so this could be the perfect gift for the millionaire in your life.
I might not be in the market for a pen like that myself - and neither might you - but I fail to see how the existence of an overpriced luxury article is responsible for child starvation, or for that matter, rampant materialism. I'd be far more concerned if Mont Blanc had decided to produce 100-packs of commemorative ballpoint pens sold for $4.74 at Walmart.
I for one am glad that some money is being siphoned from those who are willing to pay for a pen like this, and given to those who can't afford one of the aforementioned ballpoints.
I suppose if this is the only pen you and your decedents will ever use, then maybe thats some where aligned with the way he lived. A little.
Montblanc was founded and continues to be based in Hamburg, Germany. They picked the name for marketing reasons. Montblanc is owned by switch luxury goods conglomerate Richemont.
You don't understand.
The barrel of the pen is made from Gandi's thigh bones. (You just thought he'd been cremated back back in 1948. Montblanc got there first.)
some folks will rob you with a gun and some with a fountain pen to quote a better poet than i
This is the most hilariously inappropriate marketing since Nelson Mandela Fighting Beer.
Geez! What ashram are you guys from? I have friends from the Hamptons whose kids, between practices of dynamic ashtanga vinyasa yoga, use $800 Super Fine Ghandi Sea Salt on their dal and weave coarse cloth on their $270,000 authentic Ghandi Loom.
The pen seems like a good deal.
namaste!
What a better way to celebrate the life of a man who lived a life of poverty than to spend frivilously on materialistic leisures.
Next they'll be making a commerative bullet with John Lennon's name on it.
Ghandi Brand Caviar would have been more tasteful . ..
for someone who spent all is life renouncing worldly items. The half naked man as the westerns called him will surely be honored with a Rs 1.1m pen. Great idea guys.
How about feeding some school kids, paying for someones tuition or just not doing anything ?
Mr Doshi, you need to check up on what Gandhi stood for and honor him in ways that will make his teachings last longer.
Today's India has learned the secret to greatness is massive exploitation and greed.
Do they have 10x overpriced housing yet?
I've met Tushar Gandhi, I'm sorry to hear that he has sold out like this.
And ashamed of Boing Boing for giving this absurd item more presence.
I've never really understood commemorative pens like this from makers like Mont Blanc and Caran d'Ache; they always seem rather gaudy, quite unlike their normal pens.
As for the nib, why is everyone carefully noting the fact that it's gold? Every fountain pen I use has a gold nib. It isn't exactly uncommon. What would be more relevant is noting that the pen itself is gold, which goes quite a long way in explaining the price, though there are antique pens that are much cheaper, also gold, and have better quality nibs.
What I'm really waiting for are the Gandhi commemorative cups from Burger King.
Ah. Praise be to materialist capitalism.
@ #25 Anon:
So the trickle-down theory, eh?
Question is, where did the $23k come from that is used to purchase the pens? What type of business practices are encouraged so as to support the increased profit margins, disproportionate salaries, and leveraged investment returns so that people have the discretionary income to buy one?
A grossly expensive bauble to celebrate the life of a famous ascetic, if it were intended as an insult it might have some style, as it is it is merely tawdry.
It will sell well to Americans, they've never understood the concept of irony.
Here is a clear image & video of the pen in question -
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/mont_blancs_tribute_to_mahatma_gandhi.php
thanks to amy kazmin for writing most of the text.
I both agree and disagree with the outpouring of negative response to the release of this commemorative fountain pen. Gandhi cherished pens as his most valuable tools. Obviously, at this exorbitant price, this pen is not a tool for the masses. However, for those who can afford it, buy it without guilt. This is one of the great things about a capitalist society.
I understand that there is a Montblanc Mahatma Gandhi pen purchaser born every minute!
^m^
That reminds me of this:
http://www.waldenwoodsliving.com/features.html
A pen Gandhi would never use, and a condo Thoreau would never live in. What's next, a commemorative John Lennon "Give Peace a Chance" 9mm pistol?
Be sure to get it in the box set with the diamond encrusted platinum spinning wheel (that really works!).
Holy shit! Their marketing people must be huffing some serious solvents to think this was a good idea.
@ EPO
"It will sell well to Americans, they've never understood the concept of irony."
Yeah it'll be a best seller considering America's complete and utter failure to quantify irony,having never produced any world class satirists(Vonnegut who? and the fact that all Americans have 23k to spend on pens. Hit the nail on the head.
-SH.
"It will sell well to Americans, they've never understood the concept of irony."
had a statement like this been made about almost any other group, it would have produced an outcry of insult..
The poster should read some information about generalization.
EPO: It will sell well to Americans, they've never understood the concept of irony.
What's irony? I tried to look it up, but it's not in the dictionary.
is this more crass than Apple's use of his image in their "think different" ads... hard to tell.
$23k? That's peanuts, and probably the baseline, for the Great Ones who with the flourish of a pen can bring down the economy, kick thousands of people out of their homes, and stress out honest businesses who made the mistake of being listed on the Stock Exchange. That's probably going to be in their next Golden Parachute negotiations (not to mention one for the spouse)
This pen is for those who have the money to waste and just love to brag about how much money they have so they decide to buy this pen and show it off to satisfy there own desires. Happy Birthday Gandhi =P
Would Gandhi have given his personal endorsement to this pen if he were still living? He advocated simplicity, austerity and thrift throughout the course of his life. He had few possessions and was not materialistic.
It's a $23,000 "Thing of simplicity."
You people are all cynics. I bet it's a really nice pen.
The matter goes toCourt.